Distance

7.0 km to summit

9.7 km total

Elevation

39 m start

261 m max

Vertical

487 m gain

Time

3 hr 49 min to summit

4 hr 26 min total

Che Pau Teng (with Rhino Rock) is mostly done as a short walk from Stanley. I did it at the end of a longer walk starting from Tai Tam Country Park, account here..

Stone Hill’s one of the harder ‘ticks’ on HK island due narrow, jungly trails. ‘Roughage’ can be minimised by approaching over The Twins albeit at the cost of extra toil on the Wilson Trail steps.

Start: Tai Tam Country Park bus stop (Got a number 14 bus from Sai Wan Ho MTR)
Finish: Stanley Market (for bus numbers 14, 6 etc)

Went up the slope access steps directly behind the big brown sign saying ‘Tai Tam Country Park’. Then the ribboned trail up Bridge Hill to where the path forked at a point festooned with loads of ribbons. Ribboning decreased after that. Dropped some height off then the climb began again at a small dam on the Tiger Stream, where I noted access is possible onto a catchwater traverse path. After summitting I descended to the saddle separating Stone Hill from the Twins. Here was a ribboned ‘crossroads’ indicating faint routes north (to Lo Fu Shan via the Tiger Stream headwaters ) and south to the Ma Hang Stream, which was totally dried up after all the recent warm dry weather; 2019 being the hottest year in HK since records began in 1884 and December rainfall 50% of usual https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/wxinfo/pastwx/mws2019/mws201912.htm

I took the rocky stream bed quickly down with some simple scrambling in a little gorge near the bottom where some pools and cascades would normally make for a pleasant stream hike(?) Went left on a concrete catchwater for a bit before emerging on the main road by Stanley Mound Pumping Station.

I had legs to spare thanks to the quick stream bed descent saving me the haul up then down on the South Twin. Looked round the immaculately kept Stanley military cemetery, tagged on little Che Pau Teng (no views today due mizzle) and walked back down to end with a leisurely mooch round Stanley Market. The terminus of the number 14 bus route is by the gates of Stanley Fort PRC army barracks if you want to shorten or do Che Pau Teng & Rhino Rock as a quick standalone.

Little in the way of views today due mist, cloud and vegetation.

Obstacles

no info yet

Key gear

no info yet

Other peaks climbed on this trip